


The Ooh-Ah Bird

by orihemeamo



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, M/M, OC death, POV Roronoa Zoro, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, Sad Story, based off my week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 06:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4695812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orihemeamo/pseuds/orihemeamo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story details the week following the death of Sanji's father.</p><p>—————</p><p>i understand that the ocs may turn you off - theyre just placeholders as sanji's parents bc who knows who they actually are</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ooh-Ah Bird

**Author's Note:**

> this is a stress fic based off my own week. everything is almost exactly how my own life was, with sanji representing my father and zoro representing my mother (even down to the tissue packets and the speech).

The Ooh-Ah Bird.

 

The 20 hour drive was excruciating. Every thirty minutes the green-haired man fell asleep, snoring until the blond kicked him awake again. The two were going to American Fork from Kirkwood, to a memorial for Sanji's father. 

A few times, the blond broke down crying and Zoro had to take over driving for a while. He understood, though - but couldn't really empathize. Zoro was never exactly close to his parents. Hell, he was a foster kid. Either way, he knew the pain of losing someone, so he was more than happy to take over for his distressed lover.

Sanji was still in the passenger seat, sniffles bubbling up every now and then. "I'll drive for today, get some sleep. We've got work Monday." The two of them took the week off so Sanji could spend time with his mother and try to convince her to go to Kirkwood with them, so she'd be close in case of an emergency. 

 

Tuesday, Sanji went to see his father for the last time at the mortuary before his cremation. Zoro stayed with the blond's mother and helped plan the last-minutes of the memorial. Sanji came back with a tear-streaked face and went right to his mother, giving her a hug and they cried together. Zoro dealt with the issue that arose with the chapel while they went to the exhausted elder's room to have a moment of peace. 

 

It's Wednesday and they all had a picnic in the mountains. There was another family with small kids that Sanji and his mother looked wistfully at alike. Zoro felt a thorn in his heart, because he knew he could never give Sanji the kids he wanted, or the grandkids Edna so desperately yearned for. 

 

Thursday rolled around, as did Edna's surgery. The elder was so invested in her husband's health that she neglected replacing the battery in her pace maker for three months. Sanji anxiously paced the hospital waiting room and Zoro gently twisted the wedding ring around his finger. When the friction became too much, he instead stroked his thumb over it and called his husband to sit. It was a minor surgery. "Please don't worry. The doctors know what they're doing." Zoro kissed the back of Sanji's smooth hand, and held it close to him with a reassuring smile. Sanji gave in to an internal conflict and climbed over the small arm rests and into Zoro's lap. 

 

On Friday, Sanji took his mother home. The tired woman was completely sober, unlike the day previous. Everything that left her mouth was incoherent. 

Sanji and his Edna put puzzles together, poured over her genealogy research, reminisced about their lost family, laughed, cried, all as Zoro stayed at the chapel to set everything up for the memorial to take place the next day. 

 

Saturday. Zoro dressed in his nicest church clothes - not that he practiced, but he and Sanji tried for a while before their lives became too busy. Sanji insisted on a prayer before every dinner, though. Zoro could easily agree to that. 

Sanji himself dressed in lighter colors - a blue button-up and a pair of tan slacks with a white tie - and helped his mother into their car. Zoro sat himself in the back with Edna's crutches, sending out last minute texts and confirming arrangements here and there. 

They got to the chapel first and Edna's name was the first on the log. Then Sanji signed in, then Zoro. The three stood for a while, looking at the photos of the late Robert; he was a goofy man, rarely serious. Only one picture out of the seventeen Zoro chose had a smile one would expect to see. All the others had the man pulling a ridiculous face or sticking his tongue out. In over half of them, he was wearing his trademark Jelly Belly hat. 

The trio walked through the doors into the main room, pews lined up pristinely and the bishop on the raised platform, behind the podium with his son. Zoro grabbed a few of the travel-size tissue packs in a basket near the entrance and walked Edna to the front pew. 

A short while later, people filed into the room and took their seats. The memorial began, and eventually the time scheduled for memories and stories about Robert came around. 

It was slowing down, Sanji couldn't go up because he was crying. Zoro gave him a tissue packet before standing and ascending the stairs to the podium with weak knees. He was never good with crowds, unless he was at a kendo tournament. He was good at kendo. Kendo he could deal with. Not a room full of crying Christians.

He took a deep breath as the podium rose at the push of a button - the bishop's doing. Zoro cleared his throat and looked at his weeping husband first, then to Edna. 

"So, to start, I'm not a practicing Christian. Please, if I do something wrong, someone give me a stink eye and I'll move on. 

"Robert was a goofy man. Everyone in here knows that. If you wanted a serious conversation with the guy, forget about it. He was just that kind of man, and I'll bet that he's yelling from above that this service is too d-" He stopped himself. 'Not the best time to be cursing.' 

"This service is too boring. 'Where are the jokes? For the love of Pete, someone bring up the Ooh-Ah bird!' 

"Oh for the love of-" Zoro wiped his eyes. "Now I'm crying." A half-sob-half-laugh later, he continued. "Every time Sanji and I got to see Edna and Robert, there wasn't a dull moment. And he always wore that godawful Jelly Belly hat. Not that I'm really able to comment on fashion." Zoro smiled and got a couple tearful chuckles. 

"He could always light up a room with that smile he had. And, no matter your initial standpoint on something, he could always persuade you to think what he did. Who here knows what I'm talking about?" A few people raised their hands, because there's a very specific story to go along with that. "Yeah. And for those who don't know, when his son first told me that his father - allegedly - threatened to shoot his park manager, my first opinion was 'this guy is nuts!' I still think that." More laughs. "But we got a chance to talk, and I walked out of their home with this thought: 'I wanna shoot his park manager.'" Tears streamed down Zoro's face and his voice was unsteady with sobs and chuckles alike. 

"I've probably taken up enougb time, so I'll end with this. I loved that man like the father I never had before him. He was the kindest-" Zoro choked a bit before he wiped his eyes and continued. "The kindest and the goofiest man ever to live. Keep him in your hearts, and watch out for three legged pigs and the Ooh-Ah Bird." Zoro sniffed and walked off the platform, bee-lining for Edna to give the tearful woman a hug. 

"I love you, Edna," Zoro whispered before sitting down next to his husband - who was desperately trying to hold back his own tears. The service ended after Robert's favorite hymn was sung, and Sanji pulled Zoro aside and hugged him tight enough to hurt. No words were exchanged as Zoro returned the embrace, feeling his lover's sobs more than hearing them. 

People filed out slowly after saying their goodbyes to the widow. Sanji and Zoro stayed behind to drive Edna home, and kiss her goodbye before hitting the road again to make it back in time for Monday. After hearing the stories the other guests shared, the men knew Edna would be better off with her friends, in Utah. 

 

The couple call and Skype the elder much more often than before, now with their adopted daughter in their laps and on the phone. Li'l Edna - Edy as she insists - speaks on and on about school and her new friends and how she can't wait to see grandma in a couple months. It took a while, but the four of them knew that Robert was making the angels collectively groan with his famous starter; "Have I ever told you of the Ooh-Ah bird?"

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't heard of the Ooh-Ah bird, sit down. It's story time. 
> 
> There once was a bird called the Ooh-Ah bird. It was named after it's distinct call. Another peculiar thing about the bird was its square eggs. Every time the bird laid one, you could hear its call from a mile away; "OOH-! Ahh..."
> 
> This was my grandpa's favorite story to tell  
> (o´ω`o)ﾉ


End file.
